PhysX with HD 7950

[zaydq]

Hey all, i saw a few references to some drivers or .dlls to be able to PhysX with an AMD card. I have a 8800GTX laying around that, if at all possible, would be great to use as a PhysX card if these drivers do work. I'm not currently playing anything that would use PhysX, but if the options there, i'd love to have the best of both worlds.

No, i will not buy an Nvidia card just for PhysX, i don't believe it holds any weight when weighing your options from AMD and Nvidia. (This comment is just for those who say "buy an nvidia card for physx"

Any info or links to sources would be appreciated

 

[railven]

Hey all, i saw a few references to some drivers or .dlls to be able to PhysX with an AMD card. I have a 8800GTX laying around that, if at all possible, would be great to use as a PhysX card if these drivers do work. I'm not currently playing anything that would use PhysX, but if the options there, i'd love to have the best of both worlds.

No, i will not buy an Nvidia card just for PhysX, i don't believe it holds any weight when weighing your options from AMD and Nvidia. (This comment is just for those who say "buy an nvidia card for physx"

Any info or links to sources would be appreciated

I was using a 9800 GTX+ for about...3+ years before without issue. Then Borderlands 2 came out and it was the first game my 9800 GTX+ struggled to (now using a GTX460.)

There are currently two options, I used the GenL method until Borderlands 2 came out (since I couldn't get it to work with his method, and he stopped updating his work sometime in August 2012.)

Info for GenL's method:
http://www.ngohq.com/graphic-cards/17706-hybrid-physx-mod-v1-03-v1-05ff.html

The other guy's method involves modifying game files (Moving *.dlls and adding a command to the ini files) and so far it worked with Batman: AC and Borderlands 2, so it's another option (either his instructions are bad or I have bad reading comprehension, but I could only get it to work by moving the physical Hybdriz.exe file into the game folder and running it as administrator THEN moving the files as instructed by step 3.)

http://www.ngohq.com/graphic-cards/...with-latest-physx-and-geforce-285-solved.html

Either way, I can vouch for both ways working up until Batman: AC, but so far I only got method 2 to work for Borderlands 2.

 

[zaydq]

I was using a 9800 GTX+ for about...3+ years before without issue. Then Borderlands 2 came out and it was the first game my 9800 GTX+ struggled to (now using a GTX460.)

There are currently two options, I used the GenL method until Borderlands 2 came out (since I couldn't get it to work with his method, and he stopped updating his work sometime in August 2012.)

Info for GenL's method:
http://www.ngohq.com/graphic-cards/17706-hybrid-physx-mod-v1-03-v1-05ff.html

The other guy's method involves modifying game files (Moving *.dlls and adding a command to the ini files) and so far it worked with Batman: AC and Borderlands 2, so it's another option (either his instructions are bad or I have bad reading comprehension, but I could only get it to work by moving the physical Hybdriz.exe file into the game folder and running it as administrator THEN moving the files as instructed by step 3.)

http://www.ngohq.com/graphic-cards/...with-latest-physx-and-geforce-285-solved.html

Either way, I can vouch for both ways working up until Batman: AC, but so far I only got method 2 to work for Borderlands 2.

Wow very quick and detailed reply. Thank you! I don't think i'll be picking up BL2 anytime soon, and I don't have an issue with running PhysX settings on low or medium. I just figured i'd put my old 8800GTX to use considering its just laying there. I might try it in Batman:AC and see what it yields.

 

[railven]

Wow very quick and detailed reply. Thank you! I don't think i'll be picking up BL2 anytime soon, and I don't have an issue with running PhysX settings on low or medium. I just figured i'd put my old 8800GTX to use considering its just laying there. I might try it in Batman:AC and see what it yields.

Haha, sure thing. It's all relatively fresh in my head because I was struggling to get it to work with BL2 (how I found the second guy's method) and what not.

Had you asked me a month ago I'd have said "sure, it's doable" then ran off to find my Batman: AC thread on another forum from last year to find you useful information haha.

GL with it!

 

[zaydq]

Another question, will having the 8800gtx as a dedicated Phys-X card cause me any grief in other games (games that wouldn't have Phys-X or would be more so on directcompute)

Also, it seems as if Method 2 is almost a fail-safe way of enabling physx on all future game titles, as opposed to method 1.

 

[railven]

Another question, will having the 8800gtx as a dedicated Phys-X card cause me any grief in other games (games that wouldn't have Phys-X or would be more so on directcompute)

I don't think so, I haven't had any issues yet, but with the flow of PhysX games being so spaced out (about 3 games in one year) I find myself uninstalling my offloading card when I'm done with that PhysX game since it does add heat to my system and more power consumption.

However, I've personally never experienced issues with other games when I do have it installed. Currently with BL2 installed I'm also playing GW2, and yet to experience any issues (outside of increased temps.)

 

[zaydq]

I don't think so, I haven't had any issues yet, but with the flow of PhysX games being so spaced out (about 3 games in one year) I find myself uninstalling my offloading card when I'm done with that PhysX game since it does add heat to my system and more power consumption.

However, I've personally never experienced issues with other games when I do have it installed. Currently with BL2 installed I'm also playing GW2, and yet to experience any issues (outside of increased temps.)

my 8800gtx is an evga ftw edition, its got a blower style fan so I think i'll fair relatively well with temps (could be wrong). Thanks for the info, you should consider making a thread with the links and your own iteration of the How-to and get a sticky for it. I'm sure a few AMD users may find it useful.

 

[majnu]

you don't need a physx card for borderlands 2 if you have an amd gpu. Just look in the thread above and it outlines which file to edit to turn it on. You'll have a 10fps drop but then that is much better than being bottlenecked by your second gpu and having potential heat, power and noise issues.

 

[zaydq]

you don't need a physx card for borderlands 2 if you have an amd gpu. Just look in the thread above and it outlines which file to edit to turn it on. You'll have a 10fps drop but then that is much better than being bottlenecked by your second gpu and having potential heat, power and noise issues.

I'll look into it, thanks

 

[railven]

you don't need a physx card for borderlands 2 if you have an amd gpu. Just look in the thread above and it outlines which file to edit to turn it on. You'll have a 10fps drop but then that is much better than being bottlenecked by your second gpu and having potential heat, power and noise issues.

Copy n paste from other thread:
Good to know those morons at Tech Spot did a shoddy review and now that information is being posted as fact.

YOU CAN NOT RUN ALL PHYSX EFFECTS ON CPU. AS A HYBRID USER I KNOW.

TecH Spot didn't properly test PhysX, by their own admission in the comments, the author of the article only shot walls and cloths. Once you get to the fluid portion of PhysX YOUR SYSTEM WILL TANK.

Need proof?
PhysX Blood effect tanking Intel i5 2500k @ 4.4ghz w/ Radeon 7970 @ 1125/1525:

Same scene, blood clears, FPS rebounds:

Here is me testing with PhysX Mod working, notice the FPS is still crippled (this is with 9800GTX+ offloading):

Do not go by that Tech Spot article, it is poorly done and doesn't properly test PhysX in a Hybrid system.

I will be posting a pic with my updated GTX 460 shortly.

 

[railven]

Here is an updated picture after swapping my 9800 GTX+ with a GTX 460.

I tried to take a picture of the exact same area as the above picture, this picture has more liquid (green Goo), visible cloth, and debris. Notice the load on both GPUs (1==Radeon, 2==GTX 460) and then the FPS. Compare it to above where with the 9800 GTX+ I was getting 43 FPS and with the GTX 460 60+

System in Sig [updated Sig to reflect]

 

[AnandThenMan]

I don't know if Nvidia has done anything on this front, but last time I read up on it, PhysX on the CPU used only one core, and defaulted to an ancient instruction set. Is this still so?

 

[Keysplayr]

I don't know if Nvidia has done anything on this front, but last time I read up on it, PhysX on the CPU used only one core, and defaulted to an ancient instruction set. Is this still so?

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2044623

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1495997

http://www.gamephys.com/game-physic...u-support-in-physx-coming-to-physx-fluidmark/

http://www.geeks3d.com/20100121/nvidia-multi-core-cpu-support-is-not-disabled-in-physx/

http://physxinfo.com/news/tag/multi-core/

http://physxinfo.com/news/3414/physx-sdk-3-0-automatic-multi-threading/

http://techreport.com/news/21088/physx-3-0-adds-support-for-multi-core-cpus

 

[ocre]

Here is an updated picture after swapping my 9800 GTX+ with a GTX 460.



I tried to take a picture of the exact same area as the above picture, this picture has more liquid (green Goo), visible cloth, and debris. Notice the load on both GPUs (1==Radeon, 2==GTX 460) and then the FPS. Compare it to above where with the 9800 GTX+ I was getting 43 FPS and with the GTX 460 60+



System in Sig [updated Sig to reflect]

so what do you think about the physX? To me the AA and physX nvidia added seems to be the only thing going for the PC version. Its important. Otherwise, If it wasnt for those you'd be just as well off getting the console version. What do you think?

 

[zaydq]

Hey Railven, Hybridiz seems to close right after I open the application. Am I missing something?

 

[railven]

so what do you think about the physX? To me the AA and physX nvidia added seems to be the only thing going for the PC version. Its important. Otherwise, If it wasnt for those you'd be just as well off getting the console version. What do you think?

I've always liked PhysX as an extra, but frankly it isn't required and not having it does not take away from the game. I play with some other Radeon users MP and they don't seem to enjoy the game less.

The PC version is far superior to the console version and it isn't just PhysX. Higher Resolution, faster frame rate (if you can support it), AO, DOF, and with some tools even acceptable AA.

I'd get the PC version alone just for what I listed, but I install a card I own that otherwise gets no use when a PhysX title is out just to get even more eye candy.

Hey Railven, Hybridiz seems to close right after I open the application. Am I missing something?

Yeah, that's normal. These are the steps I took to get it to properly work:

1) Install nVidia drivers (I've tested with the newest version of both display drivers and PhysX software and they've worked, I've also tested with some older versions of each - also worked.)

2) Copy the hybridiz.exe file to the game folder you want to get PhysX to work in.

3) Run it as administrator

4) Create a new folder call it whatever, and copy all files/folders that start with either Physx or Cuda into that new folder, except Physxextensions.dll. Keep that where it is.

5) Run the game, if it crashes, copy back the Physxcore.dll, if it runs fine, kudos.


Note: Batman: AC needs the Physxcore.dll to remain in place. Not sure about others since this is my first time running this mod.

 

[zaydq]

I've always liked PhysX as an extra, but frankly it isn't required and not having it does not take away from the game. I play with some other Radeon users MP and they don't seem to enjoy the game less.

The PC version is far superior to the console version and it isn't just PhysX. Higher Resolution, faster frame rate (if you can support it), AO, DOF, and with some tools even acceptable AA.

I'd get the PC version alone just for what I listed, but I install a card I own that otherwise gets no use when a PhysX title is out just to get even more eye candy.



Yeah, that's normal. These are the steps I took to get it to properly work:

1) Install nVidia drivers (I've tested with the newest version of both display drivers and PhysX software and they've worked, I've also tested with some older versions of each - also worked.)

2) Copy the hybridiz.exe file to the game folder you want to get PhysX to work in.

3) Run it as administrator

4) Create a new folder call it whatever, and copy all files/folders that start with either Physx or Cuda into that new folder, except Physxextensions.dll. Keep that where it is.

5) Run the game, if it crashes, copy back the Physxcore.dll, if it runs fine, kudos.


Note: Batman: AC needs the Physxcore.dll to remain in place. Not sure about others since this is my first time running this mod.

I've done all that, but with no luck. The application just closes as soon as it opens.

 

[Tarvaln]

I used the hybridiz method posted above. It works for me with Borderlands 2 but I can't get the Nvidia control panel to open. I have one of my monitors plugged into that card and it is not giving me an error. It just isn't opening. Also, there is no Nvidia option when I right click on my screen. I'm not sure if my gtx 460 is set to dedicated phys x. Is there a way to find out and change the setting if it isn't?

 

[Lonbjerg]

http://forums.anandtech.com/showthread.php?t=2044623

http://hardforum.com/showthread.php?t=1495997

http://www.gamephys.com/game-physic...u-support-in-physx-coming-to-physx-fluidmark/

http://www.geeks3d.com/20100121/nvidia-multi-core-cpu-support-is-not-disabled-in-physx/

http://physxinfo.com/news/tag/multi-core/

http://physxinfo.com/news/3414/physx-sdk-3-0-automatic-multi-threading/

http://techreport.com/news/21088/physx-3-0-adds-support-for-multi-core-cpus

Nice one...slam and dunk

 

[railven]

I've done all that, but with no luck. The application just closes as soon as it opens.

Holy crap zay, sorry for missing this - not sure if you continued on. The actual hybridz app is just a batch file, it opens then quickly closes. All it does is close a few nvidia applications and changes some registry keys.

I used the hybridiz method posted above. It works for me with Borderlands 2 but I can't get the Nvidia control panel to open. I have one of my monitors plugged into that card and it is not giving me an error. It just isn't opening. Also, there is no Nvidia option when I right click on my screen. I'm not sure if my gtx 460 is set to dedicated phys x. Is there a way to find out and change the setting if it isn't?

The reason you can't access the NV Panel after using any of the known hybrid mods is they force close/block through Services/Registry the NV panel and some other NV services that monitor for *.exe. This is how they block out the NV placed bugs that were affecting previous hybrid solutions (which was just as simple as installing a card + driver, no mods until of course NV locked it.)

 

[zaydq]

Ah holy shit hahaha. I should have noticed it was a batch. I'll have to reinstall that 8800 and try again. Thanks for coming back!

 

[Tarvaln]

The reason you can't access the NV Panel after using any of the known hybrid mods is they force close/block through Services/Registry the NV panel and some other NV services that monitor for *.exe. This is how they block out the NV placed bugs that were affecting previous hybrid solutions (which was just as simple as installing a card + driver, no mods until of course NV locked it.)

Do you know if the Hyberdiz.exe sets the GPU to dedicated Phys-x? Is there a way to check it without the Nvidia control panel?

Another silly question: Currently I have my main monitor plugged into my AMD card. My second monitor plugged into my Nvidia card. Is it better to have both plugged into the ATI or does it matter?

Thanks

 

[railven]

Ah holy shit hahaha. I should have noticed it was a batch. I'll have to reinstall that 8800 and try again. Thanks for coming back!

Sure thing, and GL! Hopefully it runs smooth.

Do you know if the Hyberdiz.exe sets the GPU to dedicated Phys-x? Is there a way to check it without the Nvidia control panel?

Another silly question: Currently I have my main monitor plugged into my AMD card. My second monitor plugged into my Nvidia card. Is it better to have both plugged into the ATI or does it matter?

Thanks

The mods are designed to force the card into PhysX mode only, at least that is what I understand. I don't think you'll have the full access of the NV Panel along side an AMD card even without the mod. My system runs all the displays off the AMD card, but I only use one display at a time, if you are doing something else I can't comment, but I would assume it be best to run your monitors off the card you have full access to.